Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)
| Recruitment Cost | 1280 | |
| Upkeep Cost | 170 | |
| Melee Attack | 11 | 31% |
| Charge Bonus | 20 | 40% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 7 | 23% |
| Range | 125 | 19% |
| Accuracy | 65 | 65% |
| Reloading Skill | 60 | 60% |
| Ammunition | 12 | 15% |
| Melee Defence | 6 | 17% |
| Armour | 2 | 13% |
| Morale | 12 | 24% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Very good accuracy and reload rate.
- Good in melee.
- Presence encourages nearby friendly units.
- Very good morale.
Description
These superior troops are the backbone of the modern army fighting to support Imperial honour.
The guard are defenders of the Emperor's honour without equal. They are line infantry, and deliver controlled and accurate volleys of rifle fire into the ranks of the enemy. Armed with breech-loading rifles, the guard are well-trained by their foreign advisors, keeping up a fast reload at speed and good rate of fire. They are also confident of their own abilities, and have good morale as a result. This confidence also raises the spirits of nearby friendly troops. An Imperial general need have no fear about committing these men to close combat, as they will give good account of themselves. Breech-loading rifles brought new calculations to bear in military affairs. The old Napoleonic tactics had proven deadly during the American Civil War when there was a mismatch between the arms carried by the respective firing lines. Troops armed with rifle-muskets simply couldn't match the pace of firing of breech-loaders, and died in great numbers; courage simply was not an answer when facing a rifle that could be fired six or seven times while a musket was reloaded. The breech-loader also made possible the one-sided colonial victories won by European armies against native troops of all kinds. In the time it took, say, a Zulu to charge into action, a British redcoat could fire many shots from a large-bore rifle. Warfare became "dashed unsporting" as various great powers realised they could grab any land they chose.